The Tintin Adventures: Melted
by SkyDragon2996
Summary: The worlds of Frozen and The Adventures of Tintin come together in this wildly uproarious and magical tale. "Melted" is the story of Malina, who must embark on a quest to find her sister Alex, whose fiery magic has trapped the kingdom in an eternal summer. Along with the adventurous sailor Young Park and his horse Chabela, things are bound to be heated up in this magical adventure!
1. Fire in the Sky

Chapter One: Fire in the Sky

Long ago, atop a vast mountain overlooking the kingdom of San Theodoros, a group of strong men were hard at work. They were jungle sailors, the men who sailed deep into the kingdom's jungles and gathered loads of medicinal plants and hauls of wood from the jungle. Horses awaited them, waiting with empty wagons to be hauled aboard the ships. Each cargo was hauled onto a wagon, which would then be taken to the village to sell. Being a jungle sailor was a dangerous job; one could easily get lost in the jungles, or worse—get eaten alive by savage predators.

A little boy stood on the deck of the ship, watching the men. He had kept a small wagon by his side. His name was Young Gi Park. He had always wanted to join the jungle sailors, but he was too young. Standing next to him was his friend Chabela, a female baby foal. The two friends had always dreamed of one day becoming the best sailors in all the kingdom. As Chabela sniffed the musty summer air, she snorted and whinnied.

As night began to fall, Chabela finally made it out into the jungles with her wagon and Young by her side. Young managed to haul as much plants and blocks of chopped wood as he could onto the wagon. From afar, the men had already lit small lanterns to continue their work. Working quietly, Young slowly attached the wagon to Chabela's harness.

"C'mon Chabela!" Young cried out as he and his horse friend trailed behind the other wagons to follow them into the village. From above, the stars twinkled and shined as they filled the night sky, accompanying the moon.

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In a clear, grassy valley next to a deep inset of mountain, the palace of San Theodoros lay still in the night. The brightness of the moon scattered throughout the valley, waking a little girl. She smiled as she saw the bright lights overhead.

She jumped out of bed and tiptoed over the bed where her adoptive sister slept. "Psst! Alex! Alex!" she whispered. "Wake up, wake up, wake up!" The other girl simply rolled over and mumbled, "Malina, go back to bed." "But I just can't!" Malina said, piling onto Alex. "The sky's awake, so I'm awake. And so we have to play!" "Go play on your own!" Alex whispered, pushing Malina off her bed. Feeling disappointed, an idea struck Malina.

Malina climbed back onto the bed, leaned over to Alex's ear, and whispered, "Do you want to build a snowman?" That got Alex's attention.

The little girls were the daughters of King Antonio and Queen Treasure of San Theodoros. Malina's own parents had died from a kingdom raid some many years ago, and Alex's family was happy enough to adopt her into the royal family. They were also best friends. Sometimes, Alex could not resist her sister's begging. The two ran downstairs and into the Great Hall, clad in their nightgowns, and laughing as they entered the hall.

"Do the magic, Alex!" Malina giggled. "Do the magic!" Alex laughed as she waved her hands, and a flurry of fire was conjured up! "Ooh!" Malina cooed. "Are you ready?" Alex asked, and Malina nodded yes. Alex then sent fire up into the sky, creating snowflake-shaped sparks in the air! "This is amazing!" Malina exclaimed, laughing happily. She knew that her sister had a special gift: she could create fire, even in the middle of winter! "Alex, watch this!" Malina said as she pressed one foot down on the floor, and ice shot out from under! Malina was also born with a special ability, but instead, she could create ice!

After Malina summoned icy mounds of fluffy snow into the Great Hall, the two sisters set to work on their snowman. They did their best to roll out the body for the snowman, but it came out shaped like a ferret! Alex then ran to get black pebbles for its eyes and nose. "Snow ferret!" Malina exclaimed. Alex then hid behind the snow mound, pretending to be the snow ferret, and said in a deep voice, "Hi, I'm Rascal! And I love warm hugs!" "I love you Rascal!" Malina said as they danced around their funny snow ferret.

Next, Alex used her fire to clear a path in a giant mound of snow to make a slide for Malina as she used her ice to create a loop and fall into a pile of snow. Popping up from the snow, Malina began hopping from stone mounds created by Alex's molten fire. "Hang on!" Alex said as Malina began to enjoy the game. "Catch me!" Malina said, and Alex made another stone. Alex had to work fast, as Malina was picking up speed with each hop. "Again!" Malina shouted. Alex was rapidly creating more stone pillars.

"Malina, slow down!" Alex said, growing worried. "It's too high!" But Malina did not hear her, for she was having too much fun. Alex tried her best to keep up with Malina's speed, but after creating another stone pillar, her foot slipped, and she fell. Suddenly, her magic began to grow haywire. "Whee!" Malina said, jumping as high as she could. "Malina, STOP!" Alex shouted…and accidentally sent a blast of fire at Malina's head!

Malina suddenly collapsed onto the floor, unconscious. "Malina!" Alex exclaimed as she rushed over to her sister's hot and warm body. A lock of Malina's brown hair turned a dark raven-black in the spot where the magic hit it. "Mama! Papa!" Alex cried out helplessly. The more she called out for help, the more her worry began to increase. The snow began to melt suddenly, and the icicles lining the ceiling began to form drops of water. "Hang on, Malina," Alex said, hugging her sister. "I got you."

Suddenly, the king and queen burst into the Great Hall to find their daughters huddled together in a somewhat melted, frozen landscape. They knew that their daughters both possessed their own special abilities. But as for Alex's fiery powers, this was more than what they had ever seen before, in their whole lives.

"Alexandria," King Antonio exclaimed, "what have you done? This is getting out of hand!" "I'm sorry! It wasn't my fault! I swear!" Alex cried. "Malina!" Queen Treasure cried out and gently grabbed Malina in her arms.

"Oh no," Queen Treasure said as she felt Malina's forehead. "She's burning hot." King Antonio had an idea. "I know where we have to go," he said in a dark tone.


	2. Kingdom of Isolation

Chapter 2: Kingdom of Isolation

Amidst the darkness in the castle library and study, King Antonio was desperately searching for the one thing he needed: an ancient book full of mythology descended from generations of old. After finding the book, he began flipping through the pages to find what he wanted. He then found a page that contained an image of a jungle mystical wizard. In front of the mystic, a wounded human lay still while the mystic used the light of the moon to heal him. Along with the book came a map of the jungle. The king carefully folded the map.

Soon, the king and queen threw on their cloaks, grabbed their daughters and climbed onto their horses. They hurried from the castle. Queen Treasure rode on her own horse with Alex while King Antonio held Malina in his arms.

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Meanwhile, Young and Chabela were treading up the rocky paths to the village when they suddenly spotted the horses race beside them. The wagon they were hauling had left a smoky trail of fire on the path. "Fire?" Young whispered curiously.

"Faster, Chabela! Faster!" Young exclaimed as the two friends tried to follow the carriage behind them. They were led to a hollow part of the jungle, where the horses immediately halted to a stop. The king and queen then dismounted, holding their daughters' hands as they edged closer to the center. Young and Chabela hid behind a rock and bushes.

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"Please, help!" King Antonio exclaimed. "It's my daughter!" The hillside seemed empty. Soon, mysteriously colored shadows swooped in, circling the family. The shadows then unfolded themselves before the family, revealing arms and legs and morphing into humans—they weren't shadows at all! "It's the king!" one of them whispered. A hush fell over the group as they stood at their majesty's grace.

"Mystics?" Young whispered under his breath. At that moment, the rock he hid behind of sprouted up, turning into a human mystic woman wearing a gray robe. Her name was Cipher. "Shush! I'm trying to listen!" she said. She looked closely at Young, realizing he wasn't a mystic at all. Smiling, she said, "Cuties! I'm going to keep you!" She hugged Young and Chabela, laughing to herself.

In the valley, the king and queen stood by with their daughters as Tintin, an immortal mystic wearing a blue and brown tunic covered with moss, entered through the crowd as he stared at the princesses. "Your Majesty," Tintin said as he watched Alex, "she was…born with her powers or cursed?" "Born," King Antonio replied. "And they're growing stronger by the minute."

Tintin took a step closer to see Malina. Feeling her head, he said, "You two oughta be lucky it wasn't her heart that she struck. Fire in a heart of ice isn't so easily changed." Looking at Malina a second time, he shrugged and noted, "But the head can be persuaded as well." "Do what you must," King Antonio said. Tintin gently began to pull images of memories from Malina's head as they floated into the sky.

"We should remove all the magic, even memories of magic," Tintin said, "for Malina to be safe." Tintin then began to transform the memories into more sensible scenes. Instead of a campfire in the Great Hall, Malina would remember a warm fire in a family campout. Instead of sparkling fireworks in the hallway, Malina would remember fireworks bursting in the sky. All the memories of sharing Alex's magic were gone and replaced with normal, everyday moments. The only remains of her magic accident was the streak of black in Malina's hair.

"There," Tintin said as he returned the memories back into Malina. "She'll remember the fun, but not the magic." "She won't remember that I have powers?" Alex asked. "It's for your own good," Queen Treasure said. "Listen, Alex," Tintin said as he conjured an image of an older Alex twirling fire in the sky, "your power will only grow. There is beauty in it. And also…a great danger."

Suddenly, the graceful flames turned into raging blazes of fire. "Fear will be your enemy," Tintin said as the growing specter of a large crowd used the flames to attack Alex's glowing effigy.

"Don't worry," King Antonio said as he embraced Alex. "We'll protect her. She will learn to control her powers." With a grim look in his eye, he finally said, "We'll lock the gates. Reduce the staff. Have little contact with the outside world. We will keep her powers hidden from everyone…including Malina."

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Soon after, the king and queen made immediate orders that all the gates be closed forever. Every door and window had been locked and closed. They isolated the girls from each other and made no contact with other people. The family had stayed hidden behind their locked gates.

The king and queen made sure that Alex learned to control her powers as the girls were growing up. Alex did not seek Malina out, for fear that she might accidentally injure her again. So Alex spent most of that time training to be the next ruler, and learning to keep her flaming power under hand. But it wasn't easy for her to control it. Fire often seemed to pop out of her fingers whenever she laughed, cried, or got upset.

Worried, King Antonio gave Alex a pair of thick, leathery gloves. He advised her to keep them on at all times in order to stay safe. "Remember: conceal it," he said. "Don't feel it," Alex answered. "Don't let it show," he reminded her.

As the years passed by, Malina spent most of her time by herself. She often played with her toys or pretended to have conversations with the pictures on the walls. But she was alone. Time after time, she knocked on Alex's door, wanting her to come out and play with her. Their friendship was slowly fading away.

One day, Malina saw the beautiful blue sky and raced to Alex's door. "Do you want to go look for ferrets?" she asked. But there was no answer. Outside, she decided to go exploring for ferrets by herself. And for a moment, she thought she saw a face smiling to her, but it disappeared. Over time, Malina did not know why she was lonely. She slowly came to accept the fact that Alex's heated personality was part of who she was. She missed Alex so much. Alex longed to play with Malina, but she didn't want to cause any harm to her with her magic.

"I'm scared," Alex cried out. "It's getting stronger!" "Getting upset will only make matters worse," King Antonio said. "You must try to relax." He then walked over to Alex, intending to give her a hug. "No, don't touch me!" Alex exclaimed. "I don't want to hurt you."

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Years later, when the girls had grown into teenagers, the king and queen were boarding a ship, hoping to visit another kingdom. "See you in two weeks!" Malina said embracing her adoptive parents. After bowing to her parents, Alex asked, "Do you really have to go?" "You'll be fine," King Antonio said as he hugged his daughters goodbye.

But the king and queen did not return this time. A fierce storm had broken out, engulfing the ship the king and queen were on. They were lost at sea. The kingdom mourned the loss of their rulers. Malina felt overcome with grief. With no one else to turn to, she knocked on Alex's door once more.

"I'm right here for you," Malina said. "What are we going to do? It's just you and me." With her back against the door, Malina buried he face in her arms. Inside the bedroom, Alex, stricken with grief, cried silently. All around her, fire and smoke had filled the room.

Three years later, the girls then grew up into young ladies. But their friendship was distant from each other. Malina felt like she barely knew Alex anymore.

When Alex came of age, it was time for her to become the new queen of San Theodoros. The whole kingdom grew excited. For the first time in years, and for one day only, the gates of the castle would be open to the kingdom and the other surrounding kingdoms. It would be the day San Theodoros will never forget.


	3. The Coronation

Chapter 3: Coronation Day

On the morning of Alex's coronation, the gates were finally opened as a light snow drifted from the sky. All of San Theodoros grew excited for the occasion. Thousands of townspeople gathered by the castle gates, eager to meet the queen.

And, to add to the growing splendor, the docks were packed with ships coming from other kingdoms that were visiting. There were noble dignitaries that have come to San Theodoros from afar. They stepped onto the docks as the cold air gave way.

"Welcome to San Theodoros," one nobleman said as he greeted a dignitary stood by him. "Ah, what a lovely day for a coronation!" he said as the two men shook hands. From above, a little girl was walking with her mother. "Why do I have to wear this?" the girl asked. "Because the queen has come of age!" her mother said. "It's coronation day!" "That's not my fault!" the little girl complained while field workers hoisted up a ceremonial ribbon pole.

From the distance, Young was making his way toward an open stall. Now a strong and fully grown-up man, he and Chabela became true jungle sailors. Today was the perfect day to sell new shipments of cargo to the people. "Well I'll be. A coronation on a cold December day, eh? You know what that means, right?" he asked Chabela. Pretending to be the horse, he answered, "By noon I'll be sweating like a rabid dog." "Of course you are, dear," Young said. "But the people will need all the resources they need."

"I can't believe they're finally opening up the gates!" a man said eagerly. "And for a whole day!" his wife said. "Come now, Pablo! Let's go!" Nearby, a few dignitaries were approaching the castle. One of those dignitaries was Rastapopoulos, the Duke of Brandelaria. Two guards followed behind him, carrying his luggage. "Ah yes, San Theodoros, our most mysterious trade partner," he said breathily. "Now open those gates so I can unlock your secrets and exploit your riches!" He immediately regretted saying that out loud.

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It was the most exciting day for Malina. "Today's the day!" she exclaimed. "I can't believe it's today!" For Malina, the coronation was the best day of her life. For the first time ever, every door, window, and gate in San Theodoros was open. No one was going to shut her out! Bursting through the courtyard in her brand new emerald-green coronation gown, she skipped through town happily, watching all the ceremonial dancers, a maypole, singers, merchants, and food stalls! Everyone was here celebrating for her sister!

"Oh my gosh, I can't wait to meet everyone!" Malina exclaimed to herself. She gasped eagerly. "Or what if I meet _the one_?" she asked herself. It seemed impossible that she would meet anyone special on this day, but it never stopped her from daydreaming about finding her one true love. Today could be that chance.

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Everyone was so joyful in celebrating the coronation. Everyone…except Alex. She was still worried that she might accidentally unleash her fiery magic. She just wanted to feel normal among everyone else. "Be the good girl," she told herself as she tested herself by holding a candlestick and a jar on her bare hands. "Make one bad move and everyone will know…"

Feeling nervous, Alex looked down and suddenly saw scorched marks appearing on the objects. Hastily putting them down, she put her orange gloves back on. "It's only for today," she told herself. After today, the gates will be locked again, and she'll conceal herself once again.

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In the market square, Malina strolled dreamily through the village. Watching the ships at the harbor, she already began to imagine the fun at the coronation, like lively music, dancing, delicious food, and meeting new people. More than anything else, she also dreamed of finding her love to be.

Malina was stuck in her imaginary revelry when WHAM! A horse had rammed straight into her, knocking her over into a boat! The boat tipped precariously from the harbor, but the horse stepped down on it with one hoof. "Hey!" she said, coming around and glancing at the horse and its rider.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," the rider said. "Are you injured?" He was dressed rather sharply for a prince. "No, I'm fine. I mean, yeah, I wasn't looking where I was going," Malina fumbled for the right words, but she could not help but notice that the man was strikingly handsome. "But I'm great, actually," she said at last. "Thank goodness," the man said. As their eyes met, Malina felt a sudden yet strange excitement going on.

Smiling, the man introduced himself. "Prince Ian of the Northern Isles," he said, bowing to Malina. Malina stood and curtsied, saying, "I'm Princess Malina of San Theodoros." "Princess?" Ian said, suddenly shocked. "My lady!" he said abruptly, bowing down to her. The horse bowed awkwardly too, and accidentally tipped the boat over, causing Ian to fall on Malina. He recognized the mistake and shifted the boat back…with Malina on top of Ian! "My goodness!" Ian said.

"Ha! This is awkward!" Malina said, struggling to stand up. "I mean, not that you're awkward! But we're just…okay, I'm awkward!" She tried to unfumble her legs. "You're beautiful," Malina said abruptly, and gasped. Did she just say what she thought she said? "Wait, what?" she asked. Ian quickly regained his bearings and stood up. "Well, I'd like to formally apologize for hitting the Princess of San Theodoros with my horse. And every moment after that," he said.

"Oh no, no," Malina said. "I'm not _that_ kind of princess. I mean, if you'd hit my sister Alex, then this would just be all…Jeez! Because, you know…" Malina paused for a minute, then found herself facing the horse. "Hi," she said to it. She shot a smiling glance at Ian. "But, lucky for you," Malina said, "it's just me."

"Just you?" Ian asked, grinning. "Yep. Just me," Malina said, smiling. Suddenly, she heard the castle bells ringing from a distance. "The bells," Malina suddenly said. "The coronation! I, uh…I have to go. Goodbye!" She ran off to the coronation, with a second to wave to Ian.

Ian waved goodbye back, and so did the horse. Suddenly, Ian found himself toppling into the water! Watching Malina run, Ian smiled, thinking about his chance meeting with the princess.

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The castle cathedral was packed with many villagers and townspeople as the ceremony began. A lively orchestra played while a choir overhead began to sing during the commencement of the royal procession. The lord General Alcazar led the procession, followed by Alex, looking regal and calm, and finally Malina, who held the train of Alex's dress.

At the front of the altar, Malina and Alex faced General Alcazar. Near him lay a velvet pillow containing the royal crown, scepter, and orb. Peeping over her shoulder, Malina found Ian in one row, sitting straight and tall, and with a stranger sleeping on his shoulder! They both silently waved to each other.

General Alcazar placed the crown neatly on Alex's head. Then, he presented the scepter and orb before her. But before Alex could lay her hands on the royal items, Genera; Alcazar cleared his throat. "Ahem. Your gloves, Your Majesty," he reminded her. Alex stared at him as if she did not fully understand what he just said. She was still nervous about concealing her fire powers.

Alex slowly removed the gloves from her hands and placed them on the pillow before her. With shaky hands, Alex reached for the scepter and orb and held them.

"As the undoubted queen, protector of this kingdom," General Alcazar began, "keeper of the doctrine and government thereof from this day forth, I present to you, Her Majesty…" Alex stood vigil, growing pale with worry as the general kept talking. She suddenly noticed little sparks of fire flaring up in her hands! Alex tried to control her emotions. She was so nervous!

"…Queen Alexandria of San Theodoros!" General Alcazar finally said. As he had finished his royal decree, Alex managed to place the royal items back on the pillow and put the gloves back on. Everyone in the cathedral began to cheer for their new ruler.


	4. Trial by Fire

Chapter 4: Trial by Fire

At the coronation ball, people began to clap to the rhythm of the music played by a jolly band of musicians as people across the room danced in a joyful waltz. Soon, everyone turned to face the new queen of San Theodoros. "Ladies and gentlemen," the nobleman said, gesturing to Alex, "Queen Alexandria of San Theodoros." Then, he announced, "Princess Malina of San Theodoros." Malina came hurrying to the front as the nobleman placed her directly next to Alex. The townspeople began to cheer and applaud.

As the applause died down, Alex turned to Malina. "Hi," Alex said. "Oh. Hello," Malina said, finally talking to Alex for the first time. "You look beautiful," Alex said. "Thank you," Malina said, "and you look beautiful-er. I mean, not that you're fuller! I meant, you're just…more beautiful, that's all." Alex chuckled. "Thank you," Alex said, grinning.

"So," Alex said, staring all around the ballroom, "this must be what a party looks like." Malina nodded in agreement. "It's a lot warmer than I thought," she said. "Must be the people, I guess," Alex said. "And what is that amazing smell?" The two girls took in the delightful fragrance that wafted in the air. "Chocolate!" they both said together, and began to laugh joyfully.

Their revelry was cut short as a dignitary presented one of the guests before them. "Your Majesty," the nobleman said, "may I present to you Sir Rastapopoulos, the Duke of Brandelare." "Brandelaria," Rastapopoulos corrected him as he presented himself to Alex. "As your closest partner in trade, it seems only fitting that I offer you your first dance as queen." Alex was rather taken aback by his offer. "Thank you for your kind offer, but I don't dance," Alex said. "But my sister Malina is an excellent dancer." "Excellent, excellent," Rastapopoulos said, taking Malina's hand by the arm as Alex silently mouthed an apology.

Eventually, Rastapopoulos was not easily the best dancer in the ball. Malina was constantly checking to see if the Duke would not crush her toes. "Now this is a lively spectacle!" Rastapopoulos said. "Certainly does make up for all those twelve years being shut out for no reason. Do you know the reason?" Malina kept her mouth shut. "No? Then watch this. Like a chicken with the face of a monkey, I fly!" Rastapopoulos had said, dancing even more.

Meanwhile, Alex was watching from a distance, laughing at the spectacle. Though Malina had been shooting her dozens of "help me" glances, it was still amusing for Alex. Eventually, Malina forced herself to finish the dance as she limped back to Alex. "Wow, he sure was sprightly," Alex laughed. "Especially for a man in heels!" Malina said. "You're okay?" Alex said. "Never been better," Malina said. "This is just so nice. I just wish it could be like this all the time." "I wish I could too," Alex said, "but it can't." "Can't? Why not?" Malina asked. "It just can't!" Alex said firmly. "Excuse me for a minute." Malina slowly walked away.

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Malina slowly pushed her way through the crowd, until one of the dancers accidentally bumped into her, causing Malina to stumble and fall. But, to her own luck, she was caught…by Ian!

"Glad I caught you," Ian said, smiling. "Ian!" Malina said as he picked her up off of her feet. Soon, they immersed themselves into a slow and romantic waltz. Malina was surprised to see that Ian was a great dancer. Malina felt instantly better as she was twirled around the ballroom.

Soon, the two decided to go outside and talk. They often danced around each other playfully as they talked for hours on end about their own self-liking. Finally, they took it out to the rose gardens, where the powdery snow made the rose petals gleam in the moonlight. As Ian plucked a rose from a bush and placed it gingerly on Malina's hair, he noticed the black piece of hair. "What's that?" he asked. "Oh, I was born with it," Malina said, "although I dreamt I was kissed by a magician." "I like it," Ian said.

Later, they sat on a balcony, where Malina showed Ian how to eat a crème-filled meringue. "Just bite it. The entire thing!" Malina said. She laughed as the treat crumbled over Ian's face. Soon, the talk turned to their families. "So wait, you have how many brothers?" "Twelve older brothers," Ian said. "Three of them pretended I was invisible for two years." "That's harsh," Malina said. "Well, that's what brothers do," Ian said. "Yea, well, not like us sisters," Malina said. "Alex and I were really close when we were kids, until one day, she just…shut me out. I never knew why." "I'd never shut you out," Ian said.

Malina instantly felt all bubbly inside. "Okay, can I just say something crazy?" she asked. "I love crazy!" Ian said. "All my life has been a series of doors in my face," Malina said, "but suddenly, I bump into you!" She was surprised to learn that Ian felt the same way she did as well! For the first time ever, Malina finally met someone who actually understood her feelings. And Ian was all that; he was cute, funny, and nice. For countless hours, they danced, talked, singed, and discussed their pasts…and futures too.

"Can I say something crazy?" Ian said, suddenly getting down to his knees. "Will you marry me?" "Can I say something even crazier? Yes!" Malina exclaimed. She knew that she and Ian were finally meant to be!

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As they awkwardly made their way back inside the ballroom, Malina and Ian were cautiously pushing through the crowd as they walked together. "Oh, there she is!" Malina said. "Alex!" Malina called to her sister. "I mean, Queen," Malina said as Alex came up to her. "I present to you Prince Ian of the Northern Isles." "Your Majesty," Ian said, bowing as Alex curtsied in return.

"Um, we would like—" Malina said, beaming. "—your blessing—" Ian said again. "—of our marriage!" they said together. "What? Sorry, I'm confused," Alex said. "Of course, we haven't worked out all the details yet," Malina said. "We'll need a few days to plan the ceremony. We'll even have soup, roast, ice cream, and…oh! Will we live here?" "Here?!" Alex asked, outraged. "Absolutely!" Ian said joyfully. "Wait, no," Alex tried to say. "Sure, sure!" Malina said. "Hey, we can even invite all twelve of your brothers to stay with us! And, and…" Malina stopped as Alex put up one hand. "Whoa, stop. Slow down," Alex said. "No one's brothers are staying. No one is getting married."

"What?" Malina asked in shock. "Malina. Can I talk to you…in private?" Alex said. "Well, whatever you have to say, you can say it to both of us." "Fine," Alex said. "Malina, you can't marry a man you just met." "You can if it's true love," Malina said firmly. "Malina, what do you even know about true love?" Alex asked. "About as much as you," Malina protested. "All you know is how to shut people out." Alex paused for a minute. "You ask for my blessing, and my answer is no," Alex said. "Now, if you'll excuse me." She began to walk away from them.

"Your Majesty, if I may…" Ian began to say, but Alex cut him short. "No, you may not," Alex said strictly, "and I think it's best if you should go." Alex signaled to one of the guards. "The party is over. It's time to close the gates." "Alex! No!" Malina exclaimed as she reached for her sister and grabbed her orange glove. "Give me my glove back!" Alex snapped. "No! Alex, please! I can't live this way anymore!" Malina cried out. "Then leave," Alex said tearfully, walking away from Malina. On the verge of tears, Malina exclaimed, "What have I ever done to you?!" "Enough, Malina!" Alex ordered, her back still turned. "No!" Malina yelled back. "Why do you shut me out? Why do you shut the entire world out? WHAT ARE YOU SO AFRAID OF?!"

"I said ENOUGH!" Alex shouted. As she did, fire shot out from her hands, burning the floors and leaving scorched marks on it. Everyone stared in shock at Alex, who was now wishing she could take the magic back. But it was too late. Flames had blanketed the floor of the ballroom as smoke filled the air.

"Witchcraft!" Rastapopoulos gasped. "I knew there was something suspicious going on here!" Malina was too stunned to even respond to this. "Alex?" she muttered in shock. Without saying another word, Alex immediately left the ballroom.

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Alex tried to run away, hoping that nobody had seen what had happened and that no one was hurt. Or else, everyone would know about her fiery powers. As Alex rushed out, she faced a crowd of townspeople gathered at the courtyard. "There she is!" one man said out loud, and the others began to clap. "Your Majesty! Long live the queen! Queen Alexandria!" Alex tried to get away from the crowd, avoiding anyone who might come in contact with her powers.

"Your Majesty," one woman said, holding a baby, "are you all right?" Alex tried to back away from everyone. Suddenly, from behind her, her hands touched the fountain, which caused blazing fire to jump right into the sky! People gasped as they saw the flames explode right before their eyes. "There she is!" Rastapopoulos shouted from the entrance. "Get her!" "No! Just stay away from me!" Alex ordered. "Stay away!" She suddenly blasted fire at the castle doors. "Monster!" Rastapopoulos cried out. People began to turn away from Alex. Alex raced out of the castle gates as fast as possible.

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Alex ran farther away from the castle, trying to hide herself from the outside world. "Alex!" Malina called from behind. "Alex, wait!" Alex tried to run as she approached a frozen lake. Suddenly, she felt the ice melting from under her. Realizing that she deserved better than the village, Alex ran straight across the frozen river, melting the waters with each step.

"Alex, wait!" Malina finally caught up to the lake, only to be stopped by Ian. "Malina, are you okay?" "I'm fine," Malina said. They watched in horror as the ice in the lake melted and continued toward the frozen ocean. A swirl of hot air began to fill the village. What had once been a perfectly white winter had now turned into a blazing hot summer.

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Malina began to feel the heat close in on her as she and Ian returned to the castle. The snow covering the tower watch gates had already begun to melt. "Did you know about this?" Ian asked. "No, I haven't," Malina said. "It all makes sense to me now."

"The snow…It's melting!" Rastapopoulos exclaimed. "The queen has cursed this land! She must be stopped immediately! You must go after her!" "No, no one is to after the queen," Malina said. Facing her, Rastapopoulos said, "You! Is there witchcraft in you too? Are you a monster too?" "No, I'm completely ordinary," Malina said. "She is," Ian said. "But my sister is not a monster," Malina said. "She nearly murdered me!" Rastapopoulos exclaimed. "You fell back on the steps," Ian said.

"It was an accident," Malina said. "She was scared. All she ever wanted was to be perfect and normal. Tonight was my fault. I should be the one to go after her." Malina addressed the entire crowd of what she was about to do. Signaling one of the guards, Malina ordered, "Bring me my horse." "Wait, Malina. No," Ian said. "It's too dangerous out there." "Im not afraid of Alex," Malina said. "I'm gonna try to go and make things right with her."

"In that case, I'm coming with you," Ian said. "No, Ian," Malina said as she prepared to mount her horse. "I need you to stay here. To take care of the village while I'm gone." "On my honor," Ian said as he bowed to her. Mounting her horse, Malina addressed the crowd. "I leave Prince Ian in charge," she declared.

"Are you sure you can trust her?" Ian asked Malina. "I don't want you to get hurt." "Ian, she's my sister," Malina said. "She'd never hurt me." Soon, Malina and her horse galloped off toward the mountains as snow began to slowly melt from the distance.


	5. Letting Go

Chapter 5: Letting Go

Alex felt even more distant from San Theodoros as she trudged all the way up the Southern Mountains. She felt awful about leaving the kingdom she knew so well. As a child, she had been taught for countless years to conceal her magic. She knew no one in the village would ever accept her for who she really was anymore.

But a part of her also felt relieved. Now she didn't have a tough time trying to hide her powers. Being alone was easier; now she didn't have to worry about injuring anyone else. As Alex climbed up the steep mountains, her steps became lighter. Now that everyone knew about her powers, she was free to do what she wanted!

Alex took a step further to experiment with her magic. She trailed fire up the paths, creating flames and fire ferrets as she walked even farther from San Theodoros. This gave her even more confidence. The distance was helping her magic grow more powerful and stronger. Alex plucked off her crown and threw it across the melted snow. She untied her tightly bound hair bun, unleashing it into a flowing ebony cascade of tangled black hair. Then, she transformed her coronation gown into a brand new outfit: she now donned a fiery-red crystal gown with a gossamer orange cape. Fire was her element. She became the Queen of Fire!

Finally releasing her magic, Alex found out something else she was also capable of doing. She used her fiery powers to create an elegant staircase that led to an exquisite palace of red crystal as she rose her arms!

This was where she would live from now on. After she finished building the crystal palace, Alex slammed the door. She was home at last.

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"Alex!" Malina called out as she led her horse into the musty woods of the jungle. Humid air hit her face as she tried to shoo away mosquitoes. "Alex, it's me, Malina!" Malina called out again. "Your sister who didn't mean to make you melt the winter! Wow, I wish I hadn't said it like that. Anyway, I'm sorry. It's all my fault!"

"You know, this wouldn't have happened if she'd just told me her secret, that's all," Malina said to herself. She was determined to find Alex. Soon, if destiny allowed her, she would find Alex, bring her back home, celebrate, and pretend all this never happened. After hearing a noise in the jungles, Malina tried to console herself into thinking that was just puppies playing. A tree branch snapped, which startled the horse into running away…without Malina!

"No no no! Don't! Wait, come back!" Malina called out, but to no advantage. "Okay," Malina said, getting back up on her feet. Feeling the bent tree snap back to its position, wet leaves fell on top of Malina.

"Ugh, heat," Malina grumbled as she trudged through the humid jungles. "It had to be heat. She couldn't have had a winter magic like me that covered the jungles with white snow and cold…" Malina's rant was cut short when she saw a nearby hut in the distance. "Air!" Malina finally said excitedly.

Suddenly, she tripped on a rock and rolled down the dirt paths, dirtying her dress as she fell into a babbling river. She got to her feet as mud began to stain her dress with the dirt below. "Oh! Oh! Oh my, that is so wet. So wet," Malina said as she reached the wooden hut. She noticed the sign above her. "Wandering Haddock's Trading Post," she read as a leaf blew off another sign. "And tavern!" Malina said reading the end of the sign.

Malina hastily entered the shop. The shop was entirely stocked with winter supplies—after all, it was still technically winter. Malina browsed around, trying to find cooler clothes. "Hoo, hoo!" a voice called. Malina turned to find a black bearded man with a bright blue sweater. _That must be Haddock!_ Malina thought. "Big winter blowout!" Haddock said cheerfully. "We have half off on snow shoes, cloaks, and a heat warmer of my own invention, eh?" "Okay, good!" Malina said, trying to sound pleased. "But, for now. Do you have any boots? Jungle boots? And dresses?"

"That would be in our summer department," Haddock said with a broad accent. Malina darted toward the single rack that held cool clothes. "Um, I was just wondering," Malina said, grabbing the items, "has another young woman, the queen perhaps, I don't know, pass by here by any chance?" She set the clothes on the counter before Haddock. "Only one crazy enough to be out here in this weather is you, my dear," Haddock said.

At that moment, the door swung open, and a tall, broad man entered. He was clearly dressed for the summer, wore a bandanna that covered his nose and mouth. It was Young. "You and this fellow. Hoo, hoo!" Haddock said, greeting the man. "Big winter blowout." The man approached Malina and muttered, "Carrots." "What?" Malina asked. "Behind you," Young said again. Malina saw what he was talking about, for she saw a bunch of carrots on a shelf. Young plucked the carrots on the counter and headed for the rope, shovel, and pick. "A real burner in December, eh?" Haddock asked.

Young brought the supplies to the counter. "That'll be forty, eh?" Haddock asked. "Forty?!" Young asked, outraged. "No, it has to be ten." "No, see, this is from our summer stock, where supply and demand have a big problem," Haddock said. "You want to talk about a supply-and-demand problem?" Young said. "I sell wood for a living." "Wow, that must be a really rough business to be in right now," Malina said. "Forty," Haddock said. "But I will throw in a visit to Haddock's tavern." He waved to two friends at the tavern. "Hoo, hoo! Hi friends!" he said to them.

"Ten's all I got," Young said. "Help me out, will you?" "Ten will get you this and nothing more," Haddock said, holding up the carrots. "Okay, listen," Malina said. "What was happening up in the Southern Mountains? Did it seem kinda…magical?" Young pulled off his bandanna, blurting out, "Yes! Now back up while I deal with this crook here."

Suddenly, Haddock rose up from his seat. "What did you call me?" he asked. He did not appreciate being called a crook. Moments later, Haddock threw Young out on the dirt. "Have a nice day!" he called out as Young plummeted in the dirt. After that, Chabela came galloping up to Young, sniffing for the carrots. "No Chabela, I didn't get your carrots," Young said guiltily. Chabela only snorted in disappointment. "But hey," Young said, looking to a barn house, "I did find us a place to sleep. And it's free."

Back inside the shop, Haddock turned his attention to Malina, who stood frozen in place. "I am sorry for this violence," Haddock apologized formally. "I will add in a quart of pickled herring so we have good feelings." He looked at what Malina chose from the stock. "Just the outfit and the boots, eh?" Malina had another good idea.

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Minutes later, now decked out in a blue shirt with rolled up sleeves, a brand-new black and green dress and black jungle boots, Malina stepped out of the shop. She heard singing coming from the barn. She peeped inside and found Young singing to Chabela. They prepared to nap as soon as they finished the song. "Ahem. Nice duet you have there," Malina said. "What do you want?" Young said. "I want you to take me up the Southern Mountain," Malina said. Young just shrugged and laid down. "I don't take people places," Young said.

"Let me rephrase that," Malina said, thrusting a sack at Young. "Take me up the Southern Mountain." Young was hesitant, but Malina kept speaking. "Look, I know how to stop this heat," she said. Young laid down and placed his hat on his eyes. "We leave at dawn," he said. "And by the way, you forgot the carrots for Chabela." "No, we leave now," Malina said, throwing the carrots at Young's face. "Oh, sorry! Sorry!" Malina said, exiting the barn. She waited and watched as Young and Chabela both ate a carrot. It seemed like they agreed.

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Soon, Young and Malina were on the wagon driven by Chabela as they raced through the jungles. "Hold on," Young said. "We like to go fast." Malina rested her legs up and said, "I like fast!" "Whoa whoa whoa, feet down!" Young said. "This is fresh lacquer. Seriously, were you raised in a barn?" He spit on the wagon to tidy it. "No, I was raised in a castle," Malina said.

"So tell me," Young said, "what made the queen go all fire crazy?" "It was technically my fault," Malina said. "I got engaged and she freaked out because I'd only just met him, you know, that day. And she said she wouldn't bless the marriage." "Whoa, wait. You got engaged to someone you just met that day?" Young asked. "Yea, anyways," Malina said, "so I got mad at her, and then she got mad, and she tried to walk away, but then I grabbed her glove, and…" "Whoa whoa whoa, wait. You got engaged to someone you just met that day?!" Young asked again. "Yea, well see, the thing is, she wore the gloves all the time," Malina said. "So, I just thought, maybe the girl's got some issue about dirt."

"Didn't your parents ever warn you about strangers?" Young asked. "Yea," Malina said apologetically, "but Ian is not a stranger." "Oh yea? What's his last name?" Young asked. "Of the Northern Isles," Malina scoffed. "What's his favorite food?" Young asked. "Sandwiches," Malina said. "Best friend's name?" Young asked. "Probably John," Malina said. "Eye color?" Young asked. "Dreamy," Malina said. "Have you had a meal with him yet? What if you hate the way he eats? Or what if you hate the way he picks his nose?" Young asked. "Picks his nose?" Malina repeated. "And eats it?" Young finished.

"Excuse me, sir," Malina said. "Ian is a prince." Young could only shrug. "All men do it," Young said. "What? Ew!" Malina said for a minute. "Well, it doesn't matter! It's true love!" "Doesn't sound like true love to me," Young said. "Okay, so what are you? Some kind of love expert?" Malina asked. "No," Young said. "But I have friends who are." "You have friends…that are love experts?" Malina laughed. "I'm not buying it."

"Wait. Stop talking, Young said, pausing the wagon. "Oh no. I want to meet these people," Malina said. "Shush!" Young said, holding his lantern and looked all around. "What is it?" Malina asked. Suddenly, Young exclaimed, "Go Chabela, go!" Chabela obeyed and galloped rapidly. "What's going on?" Malina asked. "Wildcats!" Young exclaimed. A pack of wildcats began to chase the wagon! "So what do we do?" Malina shouted.

"Just keep your head low and don't get eaten!" Young said, fighting off the wildcats. "I got this!" "But I want to help too!" Malina exclaimed. "No," Young said. "Why?" Malina asked. "'Cause I don't trust your sense of judgment," Young said, still fending off the wildcats. "Excuse me?" Malina scoffed. "Who on Earth marries a man she just met?!" Young said as a panther pounced on him. Malina was seething with rage. "IT'S TRUE LOVE!" Malina shouted, smashing Young's guitar on the panther and accidentally knocking Young overboard. "Eugene!" Malina exclaimed. "It's Young!" Young could feel the wildcats pouncing on him.

Malina tried to help out, so she smashed the lantern onto a block of wood, which caught on fire. One by one, Young tried to throw the wildcats off of their path. Suddenly, he felt the heat from the wooden log being hurled toward the panthers as they flew off of him. Malina then began to pull Young back on the wagon. "You almost set me on fire!" Young said. "But I didn't!" Malina said. Suddenly, the two saw a wide cliff up ahead. "Get ready to jump, Chabela!" Malina yelled. "You don't tell Chabela what to do! I do!" Young yelled.

He then thrust Malina forward, landing onto Chabela. "Get ready to jump, old girl!" Young exclaimed. Running as swiftly as the wind carrying her, Chabela leaped across the cliff, landing on the path on the other side. Young bravely jumped from his wagon and grasped the edge as he saw his wagon fall and break into splintery wood, engulfed by flames. "Aw, I just bought that wagon," he whimpered. He suddenly found himself slipping from the edge! "Oh no, no, no!" Young cried. But his near-death fall was saved when a pickaxe landed before him! "Grab on!" Malina cried as Young took hold. "Pull, Chabela, pull!" Together, they pulled Young safely to the other side.

"I'm sorry about your wagon," Malina apologized. "I'll replace your wagon…and everything that was in it." She looked toward the path. "And I understand if you don't want to help me. So, I'll be on my way." She then began to walk away from them, alone. Chabela looked at Young with big eyes. "Of course, I'm not gonna help her. In fact, this whole thing has ruined me for helping anyone ever again," Young said. "But she'll die on her own," he said, imitating Chabela's voice. "I'm okay with that," Young said. But Malina seemed totally lost. "But she won't get you your new wagon if she's dead," Young said again in Chabela's voice.

"Okay okay, hold up! We're coming!" Young said. "Really? Okay I'll let you tag along," Malina said as the two caught up and they began their long journey ahead.


	6. Onward and Upward

Chapter 6: Onward and Upward

Together, Malina, Young, and Chabela had walked on throughout the night. As dawn was slowly approaching, the three found themselves at the rim of the mountain that laid before them. They could see San Theodoros from the distance they were in. But it was not the wintertime view they had expected to see. The snow was beginning to melt at a steady pace. "The snow's completely melted," Young said. "It'll be fine," Malina said, composing herself. "Alex can fix this." "Will she?" Young asked. "Just like that?"

"Of course," Malina said. Then, she pointed toward the direction of the path. "So, this way to the Southern Mountain?" Young chuckled and grabbed Malina's wrist. "More like 'that way' to the Southern Mountain," Young said, pointing Malina's finger to the top of the path.

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As the morning light gave way to the day, the three friends ventured to a deeper part of the jungles as they continued on their journey. For hours they walked, until they came to a clearing in the jungle surrounded by tall trees. The terrain looked so much more different than what they had experienced in the rest of the woods. They had come across a serene jungle cove.

Malina was awestruck. "I never knew summer could be so…beautiful," she whispered. Young ran his fingers through the ropey branches of a willow tree. Chabela was too eager to watch the vines dance around. She jumped all around them, entangling herself in the vines. She looked like a shimmering rose bush!

"Yeah, but it's so green!" a voice said from nowhere. "Doesn't it hurt your eyes a bit? My eyes are killing me. You know, how about a little color?" Malina and Young looked at each other. Who could have been talking just now? "Must we grunge the joy out of it all?" the voice said again. "I'm thinking like chartreuse or turquoise. How about yellow? No, not yellow. Yellow and green? Brr…no go." A goofy red and white fire ferret, walking on his hind legs, appeared. He laughed at his yellow and green joke. "Am I right?" he asked Malina.

"AAAAAHH!" Malina yelled, kicking the ferret up high until it landed on Young's arms. "Hi," the ferret said. "You're creepy," Young said, throwing the ferret back to Malina. "No, I don't want it!" Malina said, throwing the ferret again. "Please don't drop me!" the ferret said. "Back at you!" Young exclaimed, throwing the ferret. "Okay, bad start!" the ferret said. "Ew, the body!" Malina said, throwing the ferret to the ground. The ferret stood on his own head!

"Okay, what am I looking at right now?" he said. "Why are you all hanging off the earth like a bat?" "Oh, sorry! Here you go," Malina said, picking up the ferret and placing him back in an upright position. "Thank you!" the ferret said. "You're welcome," Malina replied, though she found it rather strange to be speaking to a talking ferret. "Ah, now I'm perfect!" the ferret said. "Well, almost," Malina said as she reached into the pack and pulled out a dark red kerchief…and accidentally jammed it onto his head! "Oh, sorry! Sorry!" Malina said. "Are you okay?" "Are you kidding me? I am wonderful!" the ferret said. "So cute. It's like a little baby wormy-worm."

Malina pulled down the kerchief until it was neatly round the ferret's neck. "Oh, I love it even more!" the ferret exclaimed. " All right, let's start this all over again. Hi, everyone. I'm Rascal. And I like warm hugs." "Rascal?" Malina asked. Somehow the name seemed familiar. She remembered finding a fire ferret with Alex when they were little, and she had given the ferret the same name. "That's right! Rascal!" Malina whispered.

"And you are…?" Rascal asked. "Oh! Right!" Malina said, snapping back to reality. "I'm Malina." "And who's the funky-looking donkey?" Rascal inquired. "That's Chabela," Malina answered. "Uh-huh. And who's the horse?" Rascal asked again. "That's Chabela," Malina said again as Rascal moved closer to Chabela, who tried to chomp on his kerchief. "Aw, look at her, trying to kiss my nose," Rascal said. "And I like you too!"

"Rascal," Malina asked, "did Alex create you?" "Yea. Why?" Rascal asked. "Do you know where she is?" Malina asked. "Yea. Why?" Rascal repeated. "Do you think you can show us the way?" Malina asked. "Yea. Why?" Rascal said yet again. Meanwhile, Young was fingering Rascal's tail. "Hey, how does this thing work?" Young asked, and he got slapped by Rascal's tail. "Hey, stop it, Chabela! Trying to focus here," Rascal said. "Yea. Why?"

"I'll tell you why," Young added in. "We need Alex to come back to San Theodoros and bring back winter." Rascal was awestruck. "Winter?" he asked. "Oh, I don't know why, but I've always loved the idea of winter, and the snow, and all things cold!" "Really?" Young asked raising an eyebrow. "I'm guessing you don't have much experience with cold temperatures." "Nope," Rascal said. "But sometimes, I like to close my eyes and imagine what it'll be like when winter does come." Rascal imagined what a winter wonderland would be like for him: playing in the snow, skating around ice, all the good stuff in winter.

But as Rascal went on and on about all the things he would love to do in winter, Young looked over to Malina. "I'm gonna tell him," he muttered. It was killing him to hear Rascal talking about the freezing winter—which was a ferret's worst danger ever! "Don't you dare!" Malina scolded back. She didn't want Young to ruin Rascal's dream with the horrible truth.

Rascal took hold of Malina's hand. "So what are we waiting for?" he asked. "Come on! Let's go bring back winter!" "I'm coming!" Malina exclaimed. She and Chabela followed Rascal into the jungles. Young could only shrug. "Somebody's got to tell him," he muttered.

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Back in the kingdom of San Theodoros, things were not going so well. The snow had already melted from the blazing hot sun. People everywhere were wondering when the cold weather would come back. They were suffering from the heat as it grew even more tense than ever. So, in an effort to keep cool, they unloaded the supplies from the ships to be stored and distributed.

"No no, you've got the ice facing the wrong way!" one man said while another was rearranging the ice blocks. No, I was not! It has to face this way!" the man told his friend. While they weren't watching, a little boy grabbed the ice block from them.

"Who here needs an umbrella for shade?" Ian called out as he did his part to tend to the village. "San Theodoros is indebted to you, Your Highness," a woman said as she took an umbrella from him. "Thank you, ma'am," Ian said. Then, he turned to the rest of the villagers. "The castle is open," he announced. "There's soup, ice, and cold refreshers." Handing the umbrellas to one guard, he told him, "Here. Pass these out."

"Prince Ian!" Rastapopoulos shouted from behind. "Do you expect us to sit here and melt in this weather while you give away all of San Theodoros' tradeable goods?" "Calm yourself," Ian said. "Princess Malina has given me her direct orders." "Has it not dawned on you that the princess may be conspiring with a wicked witch to destroy us all?" Rastapopoulos questioned. "Do not question the princess," Ian demanded. "She has left me in charge, and I will not hesitate to protect San Theodoros from treason." "Treason?" Rastapopoulos asked. "No, I…I would never…"

Suddenly, Malina's horse came bounding through the village square. "Whoa, easy there!" Ian said, attempting to calm the horse. "Easy, easy." "Princess Malina's horse!" a guard exclaimed. "What has happened to her? Where is she?" The villagers began to panic with great worry. "Princess Malina's in trouble!" Ian announced. "I need volunteers to come with me and go after her!" A group of men stepped forward and offered to help Ian. Rastapopoulos sent two of his strongest guards to go with Ian as well. "Should you encounter the queen," he said quietly, "be prepared to put an end to this heat wave. Do you understand?" The two men nodded in agreement.

It was not long before Ian finally summoned the men to follow him as they crossed the perilous jungles and made their way toward the Southern Mountains.


	7. Concealing Oneself

Chapter 7: Concealing oneself

It was not long before Malina, Young, Chabela, and Rascal had reached the far end of the jungles. Now they came across a vine and moss filled gorge surrounded by sharp spikes of stone jutting out from every corner and direction. It looked as if whoever made those spikes did not want any visitors. Young had barely missing poking his eye out with a stone.

"So, how exactly are you planning to stop this heat wave?" Young asked Malina. "I'm going to talk to my sister," Malina said with a smile. "That's it?" Young asked, confused. "My whole sailor business is riding on you just talking to your sister?" "Yes," Malina replied. "But aren't you afraid of her?" Young asked. "No. Why would I be?" Malina said. "I was just literally thinking the same thing," Rascal said without noticing that he was walking straight into a spike of stone. "I bet Alex's the nicest, gentlest, warmest person ever." He then noticed that his kerchief was punctured through the pike. "Oh, look at that," he said, smiling. "My hanky's been impaled."

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Mometns later, The friends had come across a steep mountain hill. It was a dead end. "It's too steep," Young said. "And I've only got one rope and a pickaxe, and you don't know how to climb mountains." "Says who?" Malina shouted. Young looked up and was surprised to fin Malina attempting to climb the mountain herself! "What are you doing?" Young asked. "I'm going…to see…my sister," Malina panted as she unsuccessfully tried to endure the mountain. "I wouldn't put my foot there!" Young exclaimed. "I'm trying!" Malina said. "Stop distracting me!" "How do you even know if Alex wants to see you?" Young asked. "Well, I'm just blocking you out, so I'm trying to focus here!" Malina exclaimed. "Just sayin', most people who disappear into the mountains want to be alone." "No one wants to be alone! Except maybe you!" Malina said. "I'm not alone, I've got friends," Young said sarcastically. "Oh, right! Your friends! The love experts!" Malina shouted out. "Yes! The love experts!" Young scoffed.

Malina was breathing heavily. "Please tell me I'm almost there," she pleaded. But, to Young, it seemed as if Malina had only reached a few inches. "Gosh, does the air seem thinner around here?" Malina asked herself. "Hang on," Young said. "Guys," Rascal exclaimed from afar, "not sure if this is going to solve the problem, but I found a staircase that leads exactly where you want to go." "Haha yes!" Malina said, relieved while letting go of the hold. "Catch!" she shouted as Young caught her. "Wow, that was like some crazy trust exercise, huh?"

As they headed up the staircase, they came across a most magnificent palace of fiery red crystal, with torches of flames atop the towers. Lava was bubbling from cauldrons of pure gray stone. Malina and Young were awestruck. "Talk about cut, clear, and clarity," Young muttered. "I think I'm gonna cry." "Go ahead," Malina whispered. "I won't bother." She pushed open the door and prepared to step inside. "Young, I think you should wait out here," Malina told him. "'Cause the last time I introduced her to a guy, she burned everything." She walked right inside the palace.

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Malina stepped inside the crystal palace. It was an amazing sight; the red crystal that shone from the light of the sun gave off a warm, orange glow. As Malina looked all around her, the silence became deafening. "Alex?" Malina called out. "It's me, Malina."

"Malina?" Malina turned around and saw her sister coming out from a room upstairs. Malina was awestruck by Alex's new appearance. "Whoa," she said. "Alex, you look…different. And I mean it in a good way! A good way! And this place, it's just…amazing." "Thanks," Alex said. "I never knew what I was capable of." "Listen, Alex," Malina said. "I'm sorry about all this. If I hadn't known…" "No, it's okay," Alex said. "You don't have to apologize. But I think you should probably leave. Right now." "Now?" Malina asked. "But I just got here." "No, Malina. You belong in San Theodoros," Alex said. "And I belong here. Where I can be who I am without hurting anybody." "Actually," Malina said, "about that…" "Sixty!" a voice yelled out. "Wait, what was that?" Alex asked.

Suddenly, Rascal came running in, excited. "Hi!" Rascal called out. "I'm Rascal and I like warm hugs!" That was when Rascal noticed Alex on the staircase and felt rather bashful. "You created me," Rascal told her. "Remember?" "And you were brought to life?" Alex asked in astonishment. "I think so," "See, Alex?" Malina said, patting Rascal's head. "He's just like the one we found as kids. We can be together like this all over again." Alex wanted nothing more than that to become a reality. But the raven-black streak on Malina's hair was yet another haunting reminder of that horrifying day many years ago, when she struck Malina with her powers. Alex turned away and said, "No, I can't. Goodbye, Malina." She turned and walked away.

"Alex, you don't have to hide from me anymore! I'm not afraid!" Malina said, heading up the staircase behind her sister. "Please don't shut me out again!" Malina climbed all the way up the stairs to reason with Alex. Now that the secret was out, Malina thought she and Alex could still be happy again for the first time in forever. But for Alex, it wasn't easy for her. Now the people of San Theodoros would never accept her for who she really was. She was still afraid to hurt anybody else. But there was still something that Alex didn't know. "Alex," Malina said. "San Theodoros is in deep, deep, deep, deep…heat."

"What?" Alex asked, shocked. "You kind of set off an eternal summer everywhere," Malina said. "Everywhere?" Alex asked. "It's all right, you can just fix it," Malina said. "No, I can't," Alex said. "I…I don't know how!" "Sure, you will!" Malina exclaimed. "I know you can!" It was hard for Alex. Hearing that San Theodoros was trapped in heat was too much for Alex. Maybe she was the monster that everyone had feared. She began to feel her emotions slipping out of control and flames rising. But Malina had persisted. "Please! Everything will be all right!" Malina kept saying. Alex was torn by her conflicting emotions. She could not bear to face the truth. Angered and upset, Alex shouted, "I CAN'T!"

As soon as she had said that, her bottled-up emotions soon burst out of her. A wave of fiery magic was released from her body…and it struck Malina right in the chest! Malina fell back. As Alex turned around, she gaped at Malina struggling to get up. Young and Rascal all came to Malina's rescue. "Are you okay?" Young asked, helping Malina to her feet. "I'm okay," Malina said. "I'm fine." "Who is this?" Alex said, noticing Young. "You know what, never mind. Malina, you have to leave now." "No, I won't!" Malina said. "I warned you to stay away!" Alex said. ""But I'm not going to leave without you!" Malina pressured on. "I know we can work this out!" "How?" Alex asked. "What power do you have to stop this summer? To stop me?" "I don't know," Malina said. "But I'm not leaving you!" "Yes," Alex said, backing away from the friends. "You are." She waved her hands, and magic filled the air. Suddenly, a giant stone monster, bound together by hot lava, rose from the ground. It grew and grew, until it towered over Malina and her friends.

Rascal could hardly contain his excitement. "You made me a little brother!" he exclaimed, eyeing the stone giant. He turned to the huge, lumbering creature. "I'm going to call you Rocky!"


	8. Nothing More to Live For

Chapter 8: Nothing More to Live For

About a few moments later, Rocky had grabbed the unwanted visitors and dragged them to the door. "Hey, hey, hey! Let me go! This is undignified!" Malina shouted at the brute. But he would not listen. "Go away!" he roared, his voice rumbling and shaking the ground. He tossed the friends out of the door, sending them tumbling down the staircase as they fell. Only Rascal stayed, clinging onto the giant. "You're a lot stronger than I thought," Rascal said.

Rocky only howled and tossed Rascal down to join Malina and Young at the bottom. "Heads up!" he called out as he picked up speed as he descended. "Watch out for my butt!" he exclaimed once he fell headfirst on a mound of dirt and ash. By now, Malina was infuriated. "It is not nice to throw people!" she exclaimed, picking up a rock and charging toward Rocky. "Whoa, hold on there, grumpy-pants," Young said, trying to block Malina. "Let's not be too hasty." But Malina persisted and threw the rock at Rocky's body. Rocky let out a fearsome mighty roar. "See? Now you made him angry!" Young said. "What do we do now?" Malina asked. "RUN!" Young exclaimed.

"I'll distract him!" Rascal told the two as they ran off. "You guys go!" Suddenly, two desert mice popped up from the dirt and ran off. "No, not you guys!" Rascal said. "This is going to be a lot harder than I thought."

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Together, Malina and Young barreled through the jungles and over steep hillsides as they ran to an escape, with Rocky behind their trail. "This way!" Malina exclaimed as she spotted a bent-over tree. "Look out!" Young shouted. Malina used her knife to cut off the vine entangling the tree. Lifting the extra weight, the tree snapped back and lunged at Rocky. "Yea! Woohoo!" Malina cheered, proud that the attack proved successful. But the brute wouldn't give up.

The two continued until they reached the dead end edge of a cliff. "Whoa, stop!" Young said, pausing. "It's a hundred foot drop," Malina said, looking down. "Actually, a two-hundred foot drop," Young corrected, pulling out his rope. "Here, get this." "What's that for?" Malina said while tying the rope round her. "I'm digging a makeshift anchor," Young said. "What?" Malina asked. "What if we fall?" "There's two feet of fallen leaves on the ground," Young said. "It'll be just like landing on a pillow. Hopefully."

"Ready? On three, okay?" Young ordered. "Okay, one…" Malina moved closer to the edge. "Two…" Young counted. Suddenly, a tree was sent hurdling towards them. Rocky was coming back! "Three!" Malina said, leaping off of the cliff. "Wha—Aah!" Young exclaimed as he was pulled down with Malina.

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Meanwhile, Rascal came scurrying up the path to catch up with the others. He was a complete mess. His fur was all wet and muddy after crossing the rivers and dirt-filled paths. "Oh man, I am out of shape," he muttered, and he shook himself clean. "There we go!" he said. "Hey Malina! Young! Where'd you guys go? We totally lost Rocky back there!" Suddenly, Rocky appeared and towered behind him. Turning around, Rascal smiled and said, "Oh, I was just talking about you! All good things, all good things!" Rocky then charged for the rock anchor. "Aah! No!" Rascal said, grabbing Rocky's leg. "This isn't making much of a difference, isn't it?" he muttered.

Rocky noticed Rascal on his leg and immediately picked him and flung him down the steep hills. He flew past Malina and Young. "Rascal!" Malina exclaimed. "Hang in there, guys!" Rascal yelled. The two friends suddenly felt something picking them up. It was Rocky! Spinning out of control, the friends began to panic as Rocky lifted them up from the ledge. "DON'T COME BACK!" Rocky roared.

"No, we won't!" Malina said, grabbing the knife from Young's pocket and slicing the rope in half. The two friends found themselves falling, falling, and falling…until at last, they landed on the mounds of palm leaves down below.

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Everything grew still. Suddenly, Malina popped from the mound and shook her hair. "Hey, you were right!" she said as she examined the leaves around her. "Just like landing on a pillow!" Aaaaiiiieeee!" Rascal exclaimed, popping up from the leafy mound and screaming. "Aah, I can't feel my legs! I can't feel my legs!" Young popped up behind him and said, "Those are my legs!" Rascal felt relieved. "Oy, Young!" Rascal exclaimed. "Hey, quick! Grab my butt!" Young then picked up his tail and lifted Rascal out of the mound. "Ooh, that feels better!" Rascal said. Soon, Chabela walked up to him and sniffed him. "Hey, she found us!" Rascal exclaimed. "Who's my cute little horsey?"

"You okay?" Young asked, helping Malina up. "I'm fine," Malina said, finally standing on her feet. "How's your head?" She gently touched Young's head. "Ow!" Young said, wincing in pain. I mean…I'm okay. You know, I've got a thick skull." "I don't have a skull," Rascal offered. "Or maybe I do."

"So, now what?" Young asked. "Now what?" Malina echoed. "Now…oh no no no! What—what am I gonna do? She threw me out! I can't go back to San Theodoros when the weather's like this, and then there's your sailor business and…" Young felt bad for Malina, so he tried to help. "Hey, Malina. Don't worry about my sailor business," he said. "Just…worry about your hair." "My hair?" Malina asked. "My hair's fine; I just fell off a cliff! You should see your hair!"

"No, I mean look at it," Young said, pointing to Malina's hair. "It's turning black." "Black?" Malina asked. She picked up her braid and realized that another section of her hair turned pitch-black. "It's because she struck you with her powers, is it?" Young asked. "Does it look bad?" Malina asked. "Uh…no," Young said. "You hesitated," Rascal added. "No, I didn't," Young said. It was clear that Malina needed help, and he had the perfect idea. "Come on."

"Okay! Where are we going?" Rascal asked. "To see my friends," Young replied. "The love experts?" Malina asked. "Love experts?" Rascal asked. "Yes. The love experts. They'll be able to fix this," Young said. "How are you so sure?" Malina asked. "Because I've seen them do it before," Young replied.

"I'd like to consider myself a love expert," Rascal said as the four friends continued down the path of the jungle.


	9. A Melted Heart?

Chapter 9: A Melted Heart?

High above the Southern Mountains, Alex was pacing back and forth with worry. She had hit Malina with her powers. What was she supposed to do? She regretted doing it, and wished she could just take it back.

"Get it together," she told herself, trying to remember the strategies her parents had taught all those years. "Conceal it. Control it. Don't feel, don't feel." As her worry increased, she began to feel the heat circulating. Looking around, Alex found a trail of fire coming from under her…and it was slithering up the wall! "Ugh! Don't feel!" she whispered sharply. "Don't feel, don't feel, DON'T FEEL!"

Suddenly, the red crystal lining of the palace began to twist and morph into different shapes. They suddenly began to turn into sharp, burning spikes. The heat began to rise as her worry was growing.

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Moments later, at the fall of dusk, the stars began to appear before the magenta-colored skies. Young led his friends through a maze of intertwining rocks, boulders, vines, and rivers as they traveled farther into the jungles. Malina hoped Young's friends would help her, and hopefully, they did not mind them stopping by so late. "Look, Chabela!" Rascal said. "The sky's awake!"

Young saw that Malina was sweating. "Are you hot?" he asked. "A little," Malina said. She grabbed a large palm frond and fanned herself with it. "So, these love experts…they're your friends, right?" Malina asked. "Yea, they're friends," Young said. "Well, they're more like family, actually. You see, they just kind of took us in, and that was it." "Nice," Malina said. "And they're experts on everything, actually," Young said as he and the others made their way to the jungles.

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"Well, we made it," Young said, leading them to a hollow part of the jungles, where trees and boulders circled around the center. "Meet my family," Young said as he walked to the center. "Hey, guys!" "They're…trees," Malina said awkwardly. "He's crazy!" Rascal whispered. They watched as Young began to talk to the tree and bent down to pet the rocks. "Here, I'll distract them while you run," Rascal whispered to Malina. "Hi there!" he said loudly to a rock. "So nice to meet you! I understand you're a love expert!" Rascal turned to Malina. "Listen, I love you, so I suggest you run!" He kept "pretending" to pet the rock.

"Right. Well, I'm gonna go, so thanks for your help. I'm going to leave. Now. Right now," Malina said, starting to back away. Suddenly, the trees and rocks began to roll, twist, and form into different shapes, until they transformed into full size human beings! One of those mystics, which was Cipher, exclaimed, "Young's home!" The other mystics behind her cheered and hugged Young.

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"Hi guys! How's everything?" Young asked. Yan, a flower mystic, told him, "I grew my own flower gardens!" Chang, a gem mystic, said, "I created a fire crystal." And Yuri, a bamboo mystic, had said, "I carved a bamboo blade." "Wow, those are all good things," Young said. "And listen, where's Tintin?" "Oh, he's in his study, taking a nap!" Yan told him.

Suddenly, everyone's attention turned to Malina. "And he's brought a girl!" Cipher exclaimed. Soon, Malina found herself being carried forward by the mystics in eager pleasure. They seemed pretty excited to finally see a girl for the first time in over many years.

"Come here, let me look at ya!" Cipher said, examining Malina. "Ooh, look at this! Bright eyes, working nose, strong teeth! Oh yes, she'll do nicely for our Young!" Malina finally caught on. They actually believed that she was Young's girlfriend, and that he broguth her here to meet them! "What?" Malina asked. "Wait, n-no, I mean, uh, he and I aren't exactly…you know…" "Well, what she means is, that's not why I brought her here in the first place," Young said. "'Cause, you see, we need to…" "Oh, I know what you need!" Chang exclaimed.

"Wait a minute, I…" Malina persisted, but Cipher cut her off there. "What's the issue, dear?" she asked. "Why are you holding back from such a man?" Soon, the mystics began to tell Malina a little bit about Young's shortcomings. According to them, he was a bit of a fixer-upper, but with a little faith, things will turn out fine.

Malina was a little confused about how to perceive this. But Young whispered, "Just play along, and if you do what they say, you're fine."

The, the mystics all began to sing and dance about love being a powerful force that brings all of us together. Some people make bad choices, but they learn to live with it. But the excitement was too infectious, and the mystics were still rooting for Malina being Young's love, so Young tried to break the ice. "Enough!" he exclaimed. "She's engaged to someone else, okay?!" The mystics looked at him funny, and huddled together in a circle. "So she's a bit of a fixer upper," Yuri said. "That seems complicated," Chang offered. "And by the way, I see no ring!" Yan laughed.

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Malina actually found herself enjoying this occasion, and she and Young were already swept right into the celebration. She loved the dancing, and she even let the mystics decorate her hair a bit. Soon, she and Young were moved down to a lower part of the ground, where they stood by the stick mystic, Professor Calculus, who held a book before them.

"Do you, Malina, take Young to be your mystically wedded…" he began to recite. "Wait a minute, what?" Malina asked. "You're getting married," Professor Calculus said.

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Suddenly, a mighty shiver had shaken Malina and made her collapse. "Oh, someone's got cold feet!" Cipher whispered. "Nervous jitters, it must be," Yuri whispered. "Oh no," Young said. "Something's wrong with Malina. She's already burning hot."

"He's right. Something is indeed wrong," a voice said. Suddenly, Tintin had pushed his way through the crowd. Now, one might have considered him a bit too old for now, but Tintin was still youthful for his age, despite that he had a few wrinkles underneath his eyelids, and a gray streak was visible on his quiff. "I sense a disturbance in strange magic here," he said.

"Tintin!" Young said. "Here, let me look at her," Tintin said as Young had Malina step closer to him. Tintin took Malina's hands, and lifted a lock of her hair to find that two more sections of hair had turned black. "Oh no, this…this is worse than I thought," Tintin muttered. "What is it?" Malina asked.

"Malina," Tintin said, "your life is in grave danger." A hush fell over the crowd. Malina and Young leaned in closer to hear what Tintin had to say. "Malina," Tintin continued, "there is fire in your heart, put there by your sister. If not removed, to solid red crystal will freeze. Forever." "What? No!" Malina exclaimed.

"Can't you fix it, Tintin?" Young asked. "I'm afraid I can't," Tintin said, shaking his head. "If it were on her head, it would be much easier. But…only an act of true love will restore a melted heart." "An act of true love?" Malina asked. "You mean like a true love's kiss, perhaps?" Yan asked eagerly.

It suddenly hit Young. "We've got to get you back to Ian," he said, getting an idea. "Ian?" Malina asked. "Right, Ian." Young carried her back to Chabela. Meanwhile, Cipher could only shake her head. "Ugh, now we'll never get him married, Chang," she muttered. "Maybe someday, Cipher," Chang said. "Maybe someday."

"Come on, Rascal!" Young called. "I'm coming!" Rascal said, hopping onto Chabela's backside. "Let's go kiss Ian! Now who's this Ian?"

Soon, Young and the others had ridden off into the jungles, returning back to the kingdom of San Theodoros. After they were gone, the sun began to rise. And one by one, the mystics all began to transform back into their natural forms.


	10. A Heated Conflict

Chapter 10: A Heated Conflict

Just a few moments later, at the break of dawn, Ian and his volunteers had finally arrived at the Southern Mountains. Some of the assistants had ridden on horseback, while others simply walked. They carried heavy torches and swords in hand. And the Duke's guards carried heavily armed crossbows.

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Atop the mountain, Ian led his group through the rocky hills and terrain until they reached the crystal palace. Everyone could not help but stare in awe at the brilliant structure. Soon, they halted to a stop as they awaited the orders. "We're here to find Princess Malina," Ian announced. "Be on guard, but no harm is to come to the queen. Do you understand?" "Aye, sir," the guards answered.

As he leaped off of his horse, Ian withdrew his sword and surveyed the perimeter. Suddenly, a mass of giant rock arose from the ground. It was Rocky! The gigantic monster refused to move away from the entrance, but Ian and his men persisted. Reacting quickly, the men fired arrows at the brutish monster, but to no effect. Rocky delivered a piercing roar as his body sprouted sharp spikes. Suddenly, two of the guards spotted a figure closing the doors of the palace. It was Alex! "The queen!" the men shouted.

While the men were fighting Rocky, the two guards made their way to the palace entrance. "Come on now, men!" the guards shouted as they ran up the staircase. "After her!"

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Inside the palace, Alex sensed the guards coming and anxiously ran up the stairs in a panic. As the two guards entered the palace, they looked all around to find Alex. "Up there!" one guard shouted as he spotted Alex racing to the balcony. "Let's get her!" They raced up the staircase in pursuit of Alex.

As soon as Alex reached the balcony, she was at a dead end. Suddenly, the guards reached the balcony at the same time that she did. "Halt!" the guard shouted at her. "No! Please!" Alex pleaded.

But it was no use. As the guard shot an arrow at her, Alex quickly reacted by shielding herself and throwing flames to burn the arrow. She was trying not to hurt them. But the two guards were already preparing their crossbows. "Stay away!" Alex cried, sending flames to throw the enemies off balance. The two men quickly dodged the flames as they evaded her fiery attacks.

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Back outside the palace entrance, Ian and his men were fiercely trying to protect themselves from Rocky's attacks. As the gigantic brute kept pounding ferociously at the guards, Ian managed to slash his sword right through Rocky's leg, which caused boiling hot lava to ooze out of it. Staggering backwards, Rocky fell from the staircase and down into the gorge. Ian was precariously dangling from the staircase. One of the guards helped him up, and together, Ian and his men raced into the palace.

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Meanwhile, while still battling the guards, Alex tried to maintain her stance and not hurt them. However, as one of the guards aimed his crossbow at her, Alex sent flames to the crystalline grounds, causing sharp spikes to rise up and trap the guard. The spikes barely approached his jaw, making it difficult to breathe.

The second guard rose his crossbow, but Alex was quick to deflect his attack. Throwing fire at him, the crossbow was hurled from the guard's arms. She summoned even more flames to evade the attack. Then, she summoned a heavy red crystal wall and pushed the guard to the balcony. The guard tried to push the wall away from him, but Alex's power was too strong. Minutes later, the crystal doors shattered as the wall continued to push the guard forward. He was now inches away from falling to his death!

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Soon, Ian and his men had finally entered the palace. As they hurried up the staircase, they came across the horrifying scene that unfolded before them. They found the guard trapped in crystal spikes. And that was when Ian found Alex attempting to push the guard from the balcony!

"Queen Alexandria!" Ian cried out. "Don't do this! Don't be the monster they fear you are!"

As soon as Alex heard Ian's plea, she suddenly stopped. She realized that she had gone too far with her magic, and this was making her even more feared than ever. She wanted to keep herself safe from others, but she still worried that her magic would hurt them. Her emotions were quickly growing out of control.

Without Alex noticing, the guard slowly raised his crossbow and aimed it toward Alex. Realizing what was about to happen, Ian quickly ran and pushed the crossbow out of the way…just as it was being fired! The arrow missed its target and hit the crystalline chandelier instead.

Alex gasped as she saw the chandelier coming straight toward her. Running away, Alex collapsed as the chandelier fell and broke into shards of glass. Then, Alex fell, unconscious.

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Moments later, Alex opened her eyes. She found herself in a tiny stone room with only one window of light above her head. She rose from the bench in which she laid, and struggled to move forward. But she couldn't move her hands. She found her wrists locked in chains. She looked out from the window, and found that she was back in San Theodoros. She was locked in the castle dungeons.

"Oh no," Alex said as she caught a glimpse outside the window. She saw the leaves on the distant palm trees growing brittle from the heat and the oceans slowly drying up. "What have I done?"

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Ian carried a torch as he entered Alex's jail cell. Alex turned to face Ian. "Why'd you bring me back here?" she asked. "I couldn't bring myself to let those men kill you," Ian said. "But I'm a danger to San Theodoros," Alex said. "Please, get Malina."

"Malina has not returned," Ian said. "If you'd just stop the summer and bring back winter…please." "Don't you know? I just can't," Alex said. "You need to tell them to let me go." "I'll see what I can do," Ian said. Then, he got up and exited the cell.

After he left, Alex suddenly found the chains glowing red with fire. Her emotions and her powers were quickly spiraling out of control!


	11. Burned up

Chapter 11: Burned up

Moments later, Young and Chabela were racing down the paths to bring Malina back to the kingdom at full speed. Only Rascal was happily scurrying along the pass like an excited wildcat.

Young peered over his shoulder to check on Malina. Her skin was turning a pale red from the heat. "Just hand in there," he told her. "We'll get you there in no time." As he steered Chabela, he commanded, "Faster, girl! We have to get there!"

"Wahoo!" Rascal exclaimed as he rolled down the hills. "Hey, I'll meet you guys at the castle!" "No Rascal! You stay out of sight!" Young said as he galloped even faster. "Will do!" Rascal said as he scurried away from them into the village. Then, Young heard a scream from someone who obviously didn't expect to see a talking ferret. "Aah! It talks!" someone had screamed. So much for Rascal to stay out of sight!

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At the palace gates, a watchmen standing from a watchtower suddenly spotted the horse and its travelers hurrying up to the gates of the castle. "It's Princess Malina!" he exclaimed. He immediately ordered the guards to open the gates and let the travelers inside the castle.

After stopping, Malina tried to get off of Chabela, but felt Young's arms grab her. "Hang on, I got you," Young said as he carried Malina to the castle. "Are you going to be okay?" Malina asked. "Don't worry about me," Young said, wiping her forehead. "I'll be fine." He carried Malina inside the castle courtyard, where they met up with two servant women waiting for them.

"You need to get her to Prince Ian," Young ordered, letting Malina down and walking her to a servant woman. "Bring her inside the castle. Make sure that she is safe." "Oh, you poor girl, you're burning up," the woman told Malina as she helped her inside. "Let's bring you to the castle and keep you cool." As the servants whisked Malina, Young stood, watching. The castle gates then closed, shutting him out.

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Inside the castle, Ian was speaking with a couple of dignitaries and soldiers, discussing the possible fate of San Theodoros' AWOL queen.

"I'm going back out there to look for Malina," Ian said, rising from his seat. "Nobody is to go near the queen until I return." "Prince Ian," one man said to him, "you can't go back out there in this weather. San Theodoros needs you." "If anything happens to Malina…" Ian started. "If anything happens to Princess Malina," another dignitary said, "you're all San Theodoros has left. Please."

Suddenly, the doors flew open. The two servants stepped inside, with Malina in hand. "Malina!" Ian exclaimed as she fell into his arms. "I was worried you'd never come back! You're so hot, and your hair! What happened?"

"Ian, you have to kiss me," Malina said suddenly. "What?" Ian asked, confused. "Now!" Malina exclaimed desperately. "Whoa now, hold on," Ian said, rather taken aback. The servant smiled, sensing that Malina and Ian needed some time alone. "We'll give you two some privacy," she said. Everyone else, including the two servants, then exited the room.

Once they were alone together, Ian turned to Malina. "What happened to you out there?" he asked. "Alex, she…she struck me with her powers," Malina said. "But you said she would never hurt you," Ian said. "I was wrong," Malina replied. "She burned my heart, and only an act of true love will save me."

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Malina's body felt warmer than ever, even when she had returned from the humid jungles and steep mountains. But she felt relieved to tell Ian everything he needed to know in order to help.

She told In the whole story of her ordeal, right up to that horrifying incident when Alex struck her heart. After hearing the entire story, Ian looked to Malina, smiling. "An act of true love," he muttered pensively. "A true love's kiss." Leaning in close, Ian prepared to kiss Malina. Malina lifted her chin and shut her eyes in anticipated hope. Suddenly, Ian paused.

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"Oh Malina," he whispered smugly. "If only someone ever loved you." "Huh?" Malina asked.

Rising to his feet and walking toward the window, Ian stared out among the village. "As thirteenth in line in my kingdom, I never stood a chance," Ian said. "I just knew I'd have to marry into the throne somehow." "What do you mean?" Malina asked, barely lifting her head. "As heir, Alexandria was preferable, of course," Ian said. "But you…" He gave a rather small smile.

"Ian?" Malina asked, unaware of what was going on. "As your sister said, you were so desperate for love, you were willing to marry me just like that," Ian said. He walked over to the wall and grabbed a lantern from the mantelpiece. Then, he moved over to the large block of ice placed on the empty hearth. "And I figured that after we married, I'd have to stage a little accident for Alex." He then smashed the lantern onto the ice, causing flames to rise and melt the ice. "Ian, wait! No!" Malina cried out. She tried to reach for him, but she fell, weak and hot.

Ignoring her pleas, Ian lit a match and lit the soaked firewood and watched them melt the ice from underneath. A hot wave of air filled the room. "But she had doomed herself, and you were so dumb enough to go after her," Ian sneered. "Ian, please!" Malina pleaded, but Ian ignored her.

Ian smiled, drawing his sword from a scabbard slung over his waist. "All that's left now is to kill Alex and bring back winter," he snickered. A sense of despair engulfed Malina, as she had suddenly realized the depths of Ian's true nature. "Ian, you're no match for Alex," she said bravely.

"No, _you're_ no match for Alex," Ian said. "And I, on the other hand, am the hero who is going to save San Theodoros from destruction." He strode over to the door with pride. "You won't get away with this!" Malina demanded.

"Oh, I already have," Ian said with a wicked grin. Then, he strode out of the room and locked the doors shut.

"No!" Malina exclaimed, attempting to get up. Feeling weak, she teetered her way to the door, but she fell over in pain. "Someone, help me!" she said, pounding the door with every swift force. She began to feel the heat getting to her body. "Help!" she called out hoarsely. She looked all around, realizing she was alone.

"Help…me," she whispered. "Please…please." Suddenly, she collapsed.


	12. A New Heat Wave

Chapter 12: A New Heat Wave

Ian left Malina locked inside the room and headed for the council chamber where Rastapopoulos and the other dignitaries were gathered together.

"It's getting hotter by the minute," Rastapopoulos growled. "Forget starving; soon, we'll all melt to death!" Ian then walked inside and sank into a chair, looking weak and overcome with grief. "Prince Ian!" one dignitary exclaimed, reaching out to him gently. "Prince Ian, what ever is the matter?"

Ian lowered his head and uttered a short, silent laugh. He had finally laid down the gauntlet. His plan was carrying along as planned. Pretending to be full of guilt, Ian looked up to the dignitaries and told them, "Gentlemen, Princess Malina…is dead."

"What?" the dignitaries exclaimed, a hush falling over them. "How could this have happened?" one man asked. Shaking his head slowly, Ian said, "She was killed by Queen Alexandria." "No!" Rastapopoulos exclaimed. With his head in his hands, Ian played the part of a grieving man. "We said our wedding vows," Ian continued, "before she died in my arms."

"Well, there is certainly no doubt now," Rastapopoulos declared. "Queen Alexandria is a witch and a monster!" "Prince Ian," one dignitary stated, "San Theodoros looks to you now."

Ian nodded grimly, but he was secretly proud. He had never before plotted his ascension to the throne so gloriously as he did now. "And so, gentlemen," Ian declared, "with a heavy heart…I hereby charge Queen Alexandria with treason and sentence her to death."

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Back in her dungeon cell, Alex continued to look out her window. The heat was now cascading so heavily on the village. Alex was worried where Malina would be at this moment. She knew that Malina would never be able to survive this intense heat wave. _Maybe I am a monster,_ Alex thought. Her powers had only done nothing but cause a great deal of trouble for San Theodoros.

Alex knew that she had to leave in order to be a threat no longer to the kingdom. She tugged at the shackles with great force. But to no abide. Alex found the flames slithering along the shackles like red snakes. Tugging and tugging again, she finally broke free. As she did, she sent a thunderous crash against the walls of the dungeon. Realizing she could finally escape, Alex ran out of the dungeon and out onto the horizon.

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Ian heard the noise and raced down to the castle dungeons. As soon as he reached the dungeons, Rasatpopoulos and the guards were already there.

"What happened?" Ian asked.

"The queen has escaped," Rastapopoulos said, examining the gaping hole in the wall.

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Far out into the valley, the heat pounded Young as he made his way up the pass to the mountains. Adjusting his hat, Young pushed his wagon strenuously, trudging up the path and away from San Theodoros.

But Chabela was lagging behind him. As Young pushed his wagon, Chabela stared longingly back to the village. She shook her head and whinnied. Young ignored her and just kept walking. Suddenly, Chabela charged right in front of him and stopped him. She faced him directly in the eyes. "What is it, girl?" Young asked.

Chabela snorted and nudged her snout onto Young's side. "Hey, watch it! What's the matter with you?" Young asked as the nudges became forceful. Chabela just snorted and whinnied, trying to tell Young something. "I don't understand you when you talk that way," Young reminded her.

Chabela then grabbed the hem of Young's shirt with her jaw and started to drag him. "Hey, stop it! Put me down!" Young exclaimed. "Put me down this instant!" Chabela diligently placed her master on the ground, hard. "No, Chabela," Young had told her. "We're not going back." Chabela snorted in disapproval.

"She's with her true love, okay?" Young said. He could not see the doubt that filled in Chabela's eyes.

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He glanced back at the kingdom to prove his doubt. But, to his surprise, he suddenly saw dark, smoky clouds filling round the castle. Fire was billowing from the clouds. Red crystal was forming over the castle walls, putting the castle into an even deeper heat wave!

"Oh no…Malina!" Young exclaimed, suddenly realizing what was happening. Instantly changing his course, Young hopped onto Chabela's back in a panic. "Giddyup!" Young ordered. Chabela and Young then began to gallop rapidly down the pass and return back to the kingdom.


	13. Worth Freezing For

Chapter 12: Worth Freezing For

Back inside the castle, Malina was laying in the floor of the library. She had made it to the door, but was too weak to open the latched handles. Nobody could hear her silent pleas for help. She felt so hot, and her heart ached with pain. She noticed the walls being lined with red fiery crystal.

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At that moment, the door handles began to jiggle. Malina could not lift her head to see who it was. Malina could see a twig wedged right into the keyhole…

Soon, the door flew open. It was Rascal! The ferret then plucked the twig off of the keyhole and entered the library, chuckling to himself. His happiness soon melted when he saw Malina on the floor. "Malina, no!" he exclaimed. He ran to one corner of the library, where he found an ice box crammed with large blocks of ice.

Dragging the ice blocks to the fireplace, he placed a wet cloth above the wood. One by one, he unloaded the ice blocks by hand. And in a few minutes, a low coolness began to fill the room.

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Malina lifted her head and noticed Rascal standing by the ice. "Rascal," she cried out. "Rascal! Get away from there!" Rascal, meanwhile, was too busy admiring the glossy ice blocks in the fireplace. "So that's coldness," he said, leaning closer. "Got to say, I still like it!" As he extended his paw, he took it back after feeling the harsh cold. "Ooh! Don't touch!" he reminded himself.

Rascal hurried to Malina and brought her to the ice. "So…where's Ian? What happened to your kiss?" Rascal asked. "I was wrong about Ian," Malina said. "It wasn't true love at all." "But we rode all the way here," Rascal said.

"Please Rascal," Malina said, "you have to get out of here. You'll freeze to death." "No! I will not leave you until we find some other act of true love to save you," Rascal said, plopping down next to Malina. "Got any ideas?" A tear came to Malina's eye. "I don't know what love is anymore," Malina said.

"That's okay," Rascal said. "I do." He rose from his place. "Love is like putting someone else's needs before yours—you know, like how Young brought you back here to Ian and left you forever?" Malina's eyes grew wide. "Young…he loves me?" she asked.

"Wow, you don't know anything about love, do you?" Rascal asked. That was when Malina suddenly noticed Rascal's fur. His red fur was beginning to turn white from the coldness! "Rascal, you're freezing!" Malina exclaimed.

"Some people are worth freezing for," Rascal said. Malina smiled; Rascal was quite the one to make someone feel great. Rascal felt the cold beginning to turn his fur white. With a cry of fright, he wrapped himself with his red kerchief. He hid behind Malina, and his color soon began to return. "Okay, just maybe not right this second," he said.

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A sudden burst of wind sent the windows flying open. A wave of hot air began to fill the room. Malina shuddered. "Hold on, I got it!" Rascal said. As he raced to shut the windows, something immediately caught Rascal's eye.

"Wait a minute! I'm getting something," Rascal said. He picked up a glass that was sitting on a table and used it as a spyglass. As he spotted it, his eyes lit up. He gasped with delight.

"It's Young and Chabela!" he exclaimed as soon as he saw them racing up the pass and toward the castle. Turning to Malina, he exclaimed, "They're coming back this way!"

"They are?" Malina asked, struggling to stand up and see for herself. "Wow, they're really picking up speed," Rascal said, watching them even more. "Wow, I guess I was wrong. I guess Young doesn't love you enough to leave you behind." "Rascal! Help me up!" Malina demanded. "No, you have to stay by the ice and keep cool," Rascal said, pushing Malina back.

Malina was serious. "I have to get to Young," she said. "Why?" Rascal asked cluelessly. Suddenly, it hit him. "That's it!" he exclaimed. "There's your act of true love right there! Riding across the jungles like a valiant, pungent horsey king!" He then grabbed Malina's hand. "Come on!" he exclaimed.

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Malina and Rascal raced out of the castle library to find Young. Sheets of red crystal began to cover the walls of the library. The crystal began to melt, turning into fire, and causing the room to collapse. Rascal and Malina made it out in time. But as they hurried out of the library, walls of fire blocked their path!

"Back this way!" Rascal said, guiding Malina to the other hall. But as they turned around, the hallway was completely engulfed in flames! "We're trapped!" Rascal cried out. Malina spotted a window overhead, and suddenly, she had an idea. "Come on, Rascal!" Malina said, grabbing his paw and running to the closed window.

As soon as they approached the window, Malina stood back. With great force, she broke the latches on the window, slid outside from swinging on the window roosts, and landed safely on the ground. The two friends then began to embark on their journey to find Young.


	14. Heat Wave Nightmare

Chapter 14: Heat Wave Nightmare

The heat was growing more intense as the heat wave was pouring heavily on San Theodoros. The waters had already dried up, turning the ocean into a dry desert. The hot air soon began to gain strength, suddenly turning into forceful winds. The winds swayed in every direction as it grew stronger, making walking on the surface difficult.

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The heat hit Malina's body hard as she walked across the dry oceans. She held her hands to shield her face from the dust that blew on her. It hurt her to see that the crystal blue ocean was gone and was now nothing but a slew of dry sand that held the ships still in their positions. The shiny green leaves on the trees were now charred and dry under the heat.

Lifting her head, Malina tried to find Young. "Young!" she cried out. But nobody was able to hear her from the howling winds that drowned out her words. She couldn't see him, but she knew he was out there somewhere in the mountains. This was it! This would be her last chance at survival! But she seemed to grow slower as she walked even more. She grew weaker with every new step she took.

The winds swirled more violently now, which ended up picking Rascal up from the sand! "Whoa!" he exclaimed. "Don't worry about me! I'll catch up!"

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Not too far from the castle, but completely engulfed by the dusty winds, Young was galloping through the sandy deserts with Chabela, desperately trying to reach Malina. As he passed the overhead masts of ships, the sand was growing more thicker and denser. One of the ships began to shift and wobble as it hung precariously on top of the riders. "Come on, Chabela!" Young commanded. "Faster, girl!" Chabela obeyed and raced hurriedly from the moving ship that was soon to crush them.

Suddenly, the ship had tipped over from the violent winds and caused to fall over, ready to topple above Young. Young saw the impending danger and tried to race out of the way as soon as possible.

The ship fell over, crashing and splintering into pieces. The sand underneath Chabela''s feet began to give way to the ground. Chabela bravely jumped over the loose sand and bucked her rider off to safety on hard land. Then, she fell into the sand.

"Chabela!" Young cried out. "Chabela!"

Suddenly, the horse popped up from the sand with great force and landed on a nearby piece of large wood. She nodded over to Young to tell him that she was okay.

"Good girl!" Young said. Then, he changed his direction to the other side in an effort to find Malina.

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Meanwhile, amidst the heat and sand storms, Alex was lost in the desert that used to be the sea. She tried to look for Malina, but to no abide. She was still lost, somewhere, in this massive heat wave. Alex was worried Malina would never survive this heat wave. She could possibly be lost forever in this heat wave.

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Soon, Ian was out on the hot desert, struggling to survive the raging dust storms. He was already pursuing Alex, and by the time he reached the edge of the desert, he nearly had her at his hands.

"Alex!" Ian called out amidst the howling winds and raging heat. "You can't run from this!"

Alex turned and saw Ian, but with hurt in her eyes, she turned away from him. But he was persistent, so she turned back to him. "Don't try and stop me," Alex exclaimed back at him. "Please. Just take good care of my sister!"

"Your sister?" Ian laughed. "She returned from the mountains weak and hot. She said you melted her heart."

Alex gasped. "Oh no!" she whispered under her breath. She was overwhelmed at what her powers had done. Her worst fears were coming true!

"I tried to save her, but it was too late," Ian lied. "Her skin was fire. Her hair turned black. Your sister is dead because of you."

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With mighty force, Alex dropped to her knees and buried her head in her hands.

At that moment, the winds had stopped abruptly in response to Alex's overwhelming despair. The driving dust had ceased, leaving dust particles suspended in the air. Everything grew eerily still.

In the stillness of the air, the people of San Theodoros gathered at the dry shore, staring out among the dry desert. The view was finally clear, and they could catch a glimpse of their queen kneeling in the sand, bowing her head. Prince Ian stood just behind her.


	15. A Real Act of True Love

Chapter 15: A Real Act of True Love

Amidst the sudden stillness of the hot air, Malina felt weaker as she tried to reach Young in time. She felt her strength decreasing with every passing moment. Her skin was a deep red, almost hot. Barely lifting her head, Malina tried to call out, "Young."

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From a distance, Young found Malina stranded on the other side of the dry desert. "Malina!" he called out. "Hang on, Malina! I'm coming for you!" Then, he took off at lightning speed to reach her in time.

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Malina lifted her head and found Young running towards her. She then tried to use her strength to try to reach him. But, something else caught her eye. Was that her sister Alex? Was she out there among the sand and dust? Malina tried to focus hard.

Then, Malina found Ian standing behind Alex, who still had her face buried in her hands and kneeling to the ground. Malina watched in horror as Ian drew out his sword and raised it above Alex. He was slowly taking his time, almost smiling maniacally as his plan was being perfectly executed.

Malina knew that giving Young a kiss would be the only way to save herself, but she could not bear to watch Alex be killed in front of everyone. With difficulty, Malina turned her direction away from Young and headed toward Alex instead.

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"Alex!" Malina shouted. With her last surge of energy, Malina lunged forward, using up every last bit of her strength left. She threw herself in front Alex to block Ian's attack. "NO!" she cried out.

At that very moment, Malina's entire body froze, turning into solid red crystal. Ian's sword came down at full strength on her body. The sword immediately shattered into pieces! A forceful blow then knocked over Ian, who fell in angry astonishment.

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At the sound of the sword, Alex slowly turned around and saw her Malina's frozen crystal body, with one arm raised above her to shield her sister. "MALINA!" Alex cried out and cringed at the sight of her sister. Her fingers trembled as she caressed her sister's unseeing face. Her eyes filling with tears, she threw her arms around Malina's crystal body.

"No, Malina," Alex whispered, sobbing. "Please, no!" Alex cried, embracing her sister.

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Rascal ventured over to find his friends, and immediately paused when he saw Alex hugging Malina. "Malina?" he asked. It hurt him to see Malina so still, without movement or life.

Young, Chabela, and Rascal all bowed their heads in a mournful silence. So did the noblemen and dignitaries above the watch towers of the castle. A somber silence began to fill the kingdom as they mourned.

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As Alex still embraced the frozen figure, drops of water began to form on the tips of Malina's fingers. Her wrist was slowly bending. Malina was beginning to melt! Suddenly, Malina had returned back to her normal self!

"Malina!" Alex exclaimed. "Alex…" Malina mumbled, opening her eyes to face Alex. Alex giggled with joy. "Did…did you sacrifice your life to save me?" Alex asked.

Malina staggered over to Alex, fell into her arms, and replied, "I love you."

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Rascal held his breath eagerly. "An act of true love will restore a melted heart!" he exclaimed, suddenly knowing the actual truth.

Overhearing him, Alex turned Rascal's words over in her mind, suddenly realizing their full meaning. "Love will restore…" she murmured. "Love! That's it!" she exclaimed suddenly. She kept hugging Malina joyfully.

"What's it?" Rascal asked. Alex took a step back and raised her hands in the air. Malina stepped forward and pressed one foot down on the sand. Suddenly, the water came returning back to the ocean! Malina's hands waved forward…and ice began to cover the barren landscape!

The ground began to rumble and shake. The water lifted a ship high onto the water, where Alex and the others were. Flames magically danced everywhere as they flew away from the dry trees, which then shimmered a shiny green. Alex waved her hands once more, and the flames disappeared, revealing the blue sky in a snowy landscape!

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Everyone all across San Theodoros erupted in cheer!

"Hands down, this is perhaps the best day of my life!" Rascal said. But once again, his red fur was beginning to turn white from the cold. "And," he added, "quite possibly my last."

Alex looked over to the ferret's whitening fur and gasped in shock. "Oh, Rascal!" Alex said. "Hang on, little buddy." She then waved her hands again, this time surrounding him with hot air. Rascal's fur then returned back to normal! "Yay, my own personal blaze!" Rascal exclaimed. "Ha! How are we doing this?"

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Malina then turned to see Ian struggling to stand on his feet. Young began to charge, but Malina stopped him short. "It's okay," she said. "I got this." She then walked over to Ian.

"Malina?" Ian said, dazed from the blow. "But Alex…sh-she melted your heart." He was still thinking that Malina had been left melting to death in the library where he had locked her in.

"The only melted heart around here is your own, Ian," Malina said firmly. After turning away for a minute, Malina turned back. With all her might, she delivered a strong punch right in Ian's jaw, sending him falling into the water. From above the watch tower, the dignitaries all applauded in victory.

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Malina smiled with pride. She was already beginning to feel warmer already. She took one look at Young and grinned. Then, she ran to hug Alex again. They hugged each other longer, growing tighter. Neither one of them wanted to let go.


	16. Winter Once Again

Chapter 16: Winter Once Again

Winter had finally returned to San Theodoros once again. It was not too long before the waters of the ocean were now filled with ships moving cargo and people about the kingdom. Everyone was finally happy that they could finally see the beautiful white snow once again.

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On one of the ships, a dignitary had tossed Ian into a small cage on the upper deck. Now Ian sat alone inside his cell aboard a ship that was preparing to return to the Northern Isles.

"Now I will see to it that I return this scoundrel back to his country," a dignitary told the royal handler. "Aye, of course," the royal handler replied in agreement. "Now we shall see what his twelve brothers will think of his behavior!"

From nearby, soldiers from the San Theodoros castle were escorting Rastapopoulos and his two guards back to their ship. "This is unacceptable!" Rastapopoulos protested angrily. "I am innocent! I am a victim of fear! And—oh, my neck!" He paused to rub at his sore neck. "I demand to see the queen at once!" he declared.

"Oh, yes, of course," the royal handler told him. He took out a piece of parchment and unfolded it in front of him. "I do have a massage from the queen herself: 'San Theodoros will henceforth and forever no longer do business of any sort with Brandelare.'" "Brandelaria!" Rastapopoulos shouted while he was taken aboard the ship. "It's Brandelaria!"

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Meanwhile, in the village square, Malina eagerly hurried through the streets, leading a blindfolded Young behind her. "Come on, hurry up, hurry up, hurry up!" she exclaimed. Without looking, she accidentally slammed Young right into a pole! "Ow!" Young said, rubbing his head. "You know, you're not a very good blindfold guide!"

Finally, they stopped. "Ready?" Malina asked. She pulled the blindfold off of Young and revealed the surprise. "Ta da!" Malina exclaimed. Before them stood a brand new wagon! "I owe you a new wagon!"

Young was awestruck as he saw Chabela gesture to the new wagon. "Are you serious?" he asked. "You're too kind, but I can't accept this." Malina laughed and said, "No, you have to. No returns. Queen's orders." She then showed Young a royal medal hung around Chabela's neck. "And by the way," Malina said, "she's named you the official San Theodoros sailor master and deliverer."

"That's not even a thing," Young said. "Well, of course it is," Malina said. "And the best part is that it can turn into a sled for wintertime. And it even has a cup holder! Do you like it?" "Like it?" Young said, hugging Malina. "I love it! I could kiss you right now!" he paused, feeling rather bashful. "I mean, I'd like to. May I? I mean, may we? Wait—what?"

Malina leaned over and gave Young a quick kiss on the cheek. "We may," Malina said. Young grinned. Then, he leaned in and gave Malina a kiss right back. But this kiss was real, sweet and romantic, and perfect for Malina.

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Not too far away, Rascal was now enjoying the winter weather, with help from the little red fire orb of flames floating over his head. He paused and stooped down to see a big bouquet of beautiful flowers before him. He picked up the bouquet, held it to his nose, and took a big sniff. Suddenly, he sneezed…and his kerchief shot right out of his neck!

Chabela stood nearby and caught the kerchief in her mouth with a quick movement of her head. For a second, she looked like she was going to chomp on the kerchief. Instead, she gave it back to Rascal, who happily wrapped it back around his neck.

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Just past Rascal, Malina raced back to the castle. As she got there, she was astonished to find something really amazing! The castle gates were already open wide. Alex stood in the courtyard. She raced up to her eagerly. All around, people were putting on their ice skates. Parts of the castle that were destroyed earlier were now fully repaired…with red crystal!

"Are you ready?" Alex asked everyone. She raised her arms in the air, swirled them around, and created beautiful red crystalline sculptures and a glowing orb of sun in the air! Malina joined in and pressed her foot down on the floors, creating a beautiful big ice rink in the courtyard!

Malina ran to her sister. "The gates are open," she said. "I like the open gates." Alex put one arm on Malina's shoulder and smiled. "We're never closing those gates again," she said. "Oh, and one more thing," Malina said. "What?" Alex asked. Malina waved a hand and created ice skates for her sister! Then, she pulled Alex toward the ice rink and they skated together.

Behind them, Young and Chabela ventured along. But young wasn't too keen on ice skating. He struggled to maintain his balance, careful not to fall. But soon, he finally got the hang of it.

Last came Rascal, who slid next to Malina and Alex as they skated together. Together, they all happily skated across the ice, amidst the warm and tropical sun. Winter—as well as happiness, peace, and love—had returned to San Theodoros at last.


	17. Epilogue

Epilogue

Story written by Cristina Bejar

Cast:

Malina Ravenwood

Alexandria "Alex" Smith

Treasure and Antonio Smith

Ian

Rastapopoulos

Young Gi Park

Chabela the horse

Yan G.

Captain Haddock

Tintin

Chang

Yuri

Cipher

Professor Calculus

Rascal the ferret

Credits

The Smith Family and Rascal the ferret all belong to Kelsey Thompson

Ian and Yan G. both belong to Sasa Tseng

Cipher belongs to Natalie Asplund

Young Gi Park belongs to Eugene Park

Chabela the horse, Yuri Akimato, and Malina Ravenwood all belong to Cristina Bejar

Tintin and all other various characters all belong to Herge

Frozen universe belongs to Disney

*Disclaimer*

The views and opinions expressed by Young Gi Park in the story that all men eat their own boogers are solely his own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The Tintin Adventures or the writers and artists. Neither The Tintin Adventures nor the writers and artists make any representation of the accuracy of any such views and opinions.


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